The question this week is: What else is opening in movie theaters, besides the newest big-budget science fiction sequel-to-a-TV show?
Happily, genre-film distributors are making a variety of options available, and theater owners are opening their doors to alternative fare, including a couple we've already seen at film festivals. We've also got a wild card that's debuting on digital platforms.
Here, then, is this week's guide: What to watch in the wild, wonderful world of genre fare.
Saccharine
The film opens Friday, May 22, only in movie theaters, via Independent Film Company and Shudder. Visit their official site for more information..
Frankly, the trailer freaks me out. Natalie Erika James (Relic, Apartment 7A) directed. Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, and Madeleine Madden star.
Our review by Martin Tsai from Sundance earlier this year: "It presents itself as both an old-fashioned ghost story and a sleek piece of modern body horror, subgenres that begin to bleed into one another almost as soon as the film starts. Its protagonist, Hana (Midori Francis), shares James's Japanese-Australian background, and the film's tensions -- psychological, cultural, corporeal -- are consistently framed as a struggle not between identities but within them, a state of perpetual internal negotiation."
Official synopsis: "After succumbing to an obscure weight-loss craze involving the eating of human ashes, lovelorn medical student Hana finds herself haunted by the ghost of the person she's eating." The ghost is, erm, very, very hungry ...
Tuner
The film opens Friday, May 22, only in movie theaters, via Black Bear Pictures. Visit their official site for more information.
Our review by Mel Valentin from this year's Sundance film festival: "An engrossing, if uneven, crime-thriller, co-starring Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman in a pivotal role as an aging, past-his-prime, NYC-based piano tuner and Leo Woodall as his only protege and the heir apparent to his man-in-a-van business.
"Closely inspired by Michael Mann's Thief and Edgar Wright's Baby Driver ..." (Read the complete review for more.)
Passenger
The film opens Friday, May 22, only in movie theaters, via Paramount Pictures. Visit their official site for locations and showtimes..
André Øvredal has built an impressive career on the basis of Troll Hunter and The Autopsy of Jane Doe, as well as the intensely dark, if somewhat less effective Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Thus, attention must be paid to his newest, which features an unnerving trailer. Look for our review later this week.
Official synopsis: "A few weeks into their van life adventure, a young couple witnesses a horrific accident that leaves the driver dead. Soon they're being pursued by a demonic stalker who's impossible to outrun and follows them wherever they go."
I Love Boosters
The film opens Friday, May 22, only in movie theaters, via Neon Releasing.
Boots Riley makes colorful, distinctive films (Sorry to Bother You, 2018) and TV shows (I'm a Virgo, 2023) with an eye-opening edge that's all his own. His latest stars Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, LaKeith Stanfield, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, and Demi Moore. Look for our review later this week.
Official synopsis: "A crew of professional shoplifters take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven. It's like community service."
Sick Puppy
The film opens Friday, May 22, only on digital platforms, via Dark Sky Films. Visit their official site for more information.
Surprisingly, this is not a movie for veterinarians. It's the feature debut from writer/director Jay Reid. Precious Chong, Dylan Taylor, and Natasha Celis star.
Official synopsis: "The wife of a serial killer will do anything to protect the man she loves."
The Blood Moon Feast 8 (Orig. Dai Tiec Trang Mau 8)
The film opens Friday, May 22, only in movie theaters, via Eastern Edge.
Self-identified as a horror comedy, the Vietnamese film looks to favor very broad humor, with a fair amount of splatter. The trailer is wild!
Official synopsis: "A belittled director faces his ultimate challenge: filming a 35-minute movie in one single take. Amidst chaotic mishaps from the cast, he must succeed to regain respect from his art-loving daughter."
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
The film opens Friday, May 22, only in movie theaters, via Disney. Visit Fandango for locations and showtimes throughout the galaxy.
You might have heard of this one. Look for our review later this week.
Official synopsis: "The evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they have enlisted the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu. Directed by Jon Favreau."
Opening This Week celebrates the cinematic experience, in movie theaters and at home.